The Pedagogy of Place: A Practical Approach to Engaging with Urban Design Lessons Beyond the Studio

This book section develops a conference paper (Golden, Saul (2011) The Pedagogy of Place: A Practical Approach to Engaging with Urban Design Lessons Beyond the Studio. In: ARCC-EAAE 2010 Joint International Conference on Architectural Research: The Place of Research/The Research of Place, Washington D.C.. [email protected]. 9 pp. [Conference contribution]. The book chapter illustrates and evaluates original research on architectural tools for investigating and communicating urban design issues in empty city spaces. It mixes studio-based design with live processes of urban governance, an underdeveloped area of architectural professional practice research. The paper was selected by blind peer-review for the 2010 US Architectural Research Centers Consortium and European Association for Architecture Education (ARCC/EAAE) International Conference on Architectural Research. It was published as part of the book of Proceedings (ISBN 9781935129196) and is available electronically via the American Institute of Architects’ website.The research combines and tests new tools to bring professionals, policy-makers and members of the public together to address shared challenges of urban regeneration. The paper first presents the Mobile Urban Experience Laboratory (MUEL), which translates abstract design ideas into constructed artefacts; catalysts for conversations between designers and the public. It then examines the results of activating empty spaces using temporary exhibits and workshops to share findings between the public, industry experts and government. As part of the research methodology each design and installation stage was photographed and videoed while anonymous survey feedback was gathered from participants for project evaluation. The paper concludes that the research’s original combination of tools facilitates more open-ended design dialogues, giving micro level visions a greater voice among macro level policy-makers and stakeholders. MUEL was incorporated as a public-art installation into a series of public performance-art events curated by artists Dan Shipsides and Susanne Bosch. It has influenced the implementation of Belfast City Centre Management’s initiative, Re:Store 2011, and led to further research funding. Portions of the paper were subsequently incorporated into the Introduction and background chapters of a co-edited book, Machines for Experiential Urban Learning, with Liam McComish (ISBN 9780955872860, 2012, pp.13-42), which also contains the author’s output number 3 (pp. 55-75).